User reviews

When Alex Cox used to present the BBC's cult film strand Moviedrome. He boasted that you will not find films from the likes of Robert Redford here.

Little Fauss and Big Halsy would had been tailor made for Moviedrome. It is a cult obscure film. It was made just as Redford was on the cusp of superstardom.

Redford plays Halsy Knox a braggart. A small time womanising motorbike racer and petty crook always looking for his next buck. Halsy can race but he does not have temperament or the mechanical knowledge to be a winner.

Halsy meets Little Fauss (Michael J Pollard) a mechanic who wants to be a racer. He just cannot stay on his bike when he goes fast. His parents are oafs and Fauss is shy with a child like innocence. He has no friends.

Fauss hooks up with Halsy, he tunes his bikes and Halsy races, they even make some money. Fauss soon sees through Halsy's tall tales and his womanising. Halsy always hooks up with a floozy who hangs around the races.

Fauss is upset when Rita Nebraska (Lauren Hutton) who came across them running totally naked before a race, falls for Halsy even though she is aware that he is shallow and unreliable.

There is an element of the counterculture in this movie. There are several songs from Johnny Cash. There is full frontal nudity. It is an atypical Redford film, he is a chancer with no redeeming features. He appears half naked for most of the movie, shirtless and showing a long scar on his back.

There are hints of homoeroticism. One male photographer at the beginning of the movie is more interested in photographing Halsy's bronzed torso.

Fauss grows up as a person with his time with Halsy. He becomes a better racer and he also gets to have sex with one of Halsy's cast offs. He also tries to leave them in the same way as Halsy by sneaking away early in the morning.

The main difference is Fauss still remains a better person. This comes up when he talks about being drafted to the army, Halsy then reveals how he got his scar on his back.

Little Fauss and Big Halsy is a small scale character piece and part road movie. Robert Redford was interested in flawed people. A year before this he played an Olympic skier in Downhill Racer. His character was selfish who was only interested in winning gold.

In The Great Waldo Pepper made in 1975, Redford played a stunt pilot who told tall tales of his exploits in World War One. The box office failure of that film meant that Redford stuck with mainly heroic parts. Only as director would he examine the darker side of the American dream.

Director Sidney J Furie has made an offbeat and meandering look at Americana. The script is too thin and also predictable. Furie pumps it up with the race scenes.

The title of Sydney J. Furie's little, forgotten film intrigued me, and I made sure to see it on ABC way back when, about 1975. I could tell it was an R-rated movie that was edited for TV, but the movie felt fresh and thoughtful. There was so much I didn't comprehend about the story of a narcissistic heel and an insecure but driven-to-win mechanic who cross paths on a motorcycle racing circuit. Robert Redford (Halsey Knox) and Michael J. Pollard (Little Fauss) have little in common except that Halsey is a low-life manipulator in whom Little sees a chance to get out of Heat Rash, Oklahoma, and win some trophies.

Redford, a man who became very famous by being a charming bank robber/mountain man/CIA employee/Barbara Streisand's ex is a thoroughly believable heel. He slithers through lying and thieving effortlessly. He wanders around without a shirt, glib and facetious, ordering Little to do this and that, and throwing Fauss' insecurity with women in his face when they pick up a bike bunny (Lauren Hutton). It's instant love for Little, instant sex for Halsy, and it leads to Little calling his partnership with Halsy quits.

He wonders back to Mom, and Dad has passed on. All the best things that are in Little are on display when he takes up racing again, practicing and practicing, with Momma sucking down dust with a stopwatch in her hand. You can see the scar Halsy left on him, and he deals with its pain by exhibiting determination.

Then Halsy arrives, and because Little is weak, he throws in, again. Hutton is pregnant, and Redford's character has so little good in him that he simply dumps her at the hospital.

I think the kid got the better half of that deal.

Our two boys are racing now, competing against each other. Little has the confidence he lacked earlier. Halsy will always be the winner of a participation ribbon. And the saddest part of the movie is how Halsy's lack of good character changes the face and behavior of who he sees as his protege.

I thought this movie was much better than many of the reviews I read. It's clearly a flick that is designed to play off Redford's growing popularity. What Furie gets right is that, although Robert Redford's Big Halsy is the powerhouse on screen, the viewer might be more interested in Michael J. Pollard's performance. The balance of the two personalities on screen makes for a darn-fine tension. Pollard played many a wimp, but here, Fauss has a deeper well of grit than you see at the start (when he habitually lands in a dusty heap during race after race).

Speaking of dust, and heat, the whole movie seems to be covered in a fine layer of grit. There's no place to feel clean and dry. The dust is ever-present, mixing with sweat to give the characters a subtle muddy sheen. Even Lauren Hutton, who chats with Halsy about his ugly scar on his back, all the while having her bare bottom in view, winds up in a preggo smock, and she looks beaten, gritty, and ready to go home to the folks in San Francisco.

She hasn't much to do in the movie other than getting pregnant and abandoned, thereby cementing Halsy Knox as charmless and in possession of a terrible character.

So, why do I recommend this 52-year-old film? Nothing is ever new in movies. The value of watching is seeing how the story we already know is remolded into something fresh. Little Fauss and Big Halsy is a fresh movie, one that very few people saw or will see in the future. It's an actors' movie, and with the glut of pornographically stupid super-hero movies out there, it may be a refreshing change.

Real people, real situations, and a thoughtful good time.

I have seen a LOT of movies...a LOT...and I believe this is worth your time....A fun film with good acting and character development....Redford gives a solid performance, but Pollard really shines....the two of them together are really believable....

Enjoy !

Saw this in the drive-in back in '71 and thought it was pretty good! Saw it again on Speedvisions "Lost Drive-in" some time ago but some of the scenes were "edited for TV". I don't believe it was ever released on video...too bad!

Had always been intrigued by this title ever since seeing the trailer 'arriving Sunday for seven days' almost half a century ago. Something in the voice-over resounded with me, which I was always reminded of when Ronnie Barker did his country and western skits. I never heard the film mentioned again, though believe it got a couple of airings with little fanfare on the BBC decades ago. Finally got a chance to see it courtesy of Talking Pictures TV - what would we do without them? Should like to say I loved it but it generally left me cold. Perhaps it is fair to say that along with one or two other films of the same period - Peckinpah's Junior Bonner springs to mind - it is essentially a slice of Americana with limited appeal outside the US except for the star. Still I did enjoy the songs from Johnny Cash.

Robert Redford and Michael J, Pollard give good performances in this character study of two opposites who form an alliance as motorcycle racers down South, Lauren Hutton is the girl who comes between them. Nothing great, but watchable, and a rare chance to see Redford as a heavy.

With Robert Redford blending Brad Pitt & Burt Reynolds to a kick-ass Johnny Cash soundtrack in a tale of motorbikes, booze & womanising, 1970's "Little Fauss And Big Halsy" COULDA been iconically fun... but writer Charles Eastman & director Sidney J Furle made it a serious thesis on what's now known as 'toxic masculinity' with the misogyny, narcissism & crass selfishness that Redford's 'charming' character bleeds over all around him (like Michael J Pollard, Lauren Hutton & Linda Gaye Scott) as he uses them. Without humour, or the usual 'character redemption' it's a dark character study but an interesting view of that era that some may prefer not to remember.

Watch this if you like films where a beloved, sainted, actor in a later days, has gotten to that pinnacle by taking his share of poorly-produced, box-office miss-steps, accepting the part of a genuine heel--a character seeing very little benefit in having any integrity-- maybe Redford saw himself accepting those roles? Johnny Cash sings some vocals written for this film that probably did him about the same amount of good that the film did for Redford. Michael Pollard's part, however, as someone learning not to accept the role of the "blame-catcher" is entirely believable. Parts of movie are amusing, but probably not to women that envision Redford as a likable person.

ROBERT REDFORD plays 'hunk' Halsy Knox, who demands and receives everything he desires except his self-respect. A God-given talent at motocross racing becomes his albatross in his quest to achieve what he believes is his destiny. Along the way are numerous characters of this hobby/religion's entourage including a gear-head named 'Little' (MICHAEL J. POLLARD). They all accommodate his every whim based on his good looks, charm and 'somewhat winning' first impression. It's not until later that an observant witness realizes that he has been duped by a 'con-man without a con' in Halsy's mission to nowhere.

Lots of motorcycle racing action and 60's introspective brings this one up to cult status. Redford is absolutely gorgeous in his appearance/role as a cad. Seems one-half the film has him bare chested! A goodly amount of nudity abounds (full-frontal LAUREN HUTTON, etc.) and if '70's film-liberalism disturbs you then I recommend Olsen twins films.

A GREAT soundtrack with songs by JOHNNY CASH and the TENNESSEE THREE, & CARL PERKINS! Some of the music was written by BOB Dylan.

Filmed on location in Antelope Valley, Ca, Sonoma County, Ca and Sears Point Raceway in San Francisco.

Postscript: "I have seen this film about ten times now and it ALWAYS leaves me thinking about it for days. RR chews up the scenery and gives a bravura performance as Halsy as he stretches his interpretation of the cad to subtle brilliance!"

Does anyone know if this film was put on tape. I can't seem to locate an authentic copy. I enjoyed this movie back in the 70's. It wasn't very realistic as far as the motorcycle racing went but it had some funny lines.

Womanising, doesn't give a damn bike rider Fauss (Redford) befriends naive / simple soul Fauss (Pollard) who acts as mechanic for Redford and lets him ride using his name after Redford is banned. All is fine until they both fall for new girl Lauren Hutton.

Rather dull, of its time quasi road movie hampered by an overly simplistic morality tale and a non existent relationship between the leads, such that you feel very little for either of them. Pollard is more exuberant than usual in the last third of the film, but still does his usual mumbling, staring at the floor act for most of it. The only significant plus point is Redford's performance where he atypically plays a somewhat unsavoury character but one that keeps us interested - he is the only reason to see this rather disappointing effort.

"Little Fauss and Big Halsy" is fairly typical of its era (released in 1970) as a film that portrays quirky characters from the fringes of society. Redford actually gives a fine performance as the fast-talking, womanizing sleaze-ball Halsy Knox - he's kind of like a bad car wreck that you know you shouldn't look at but you can't tear your eyes away from. Michael J. Pollard's Little Fauss is something of a half-wit idiot savant - he knows motorcycles mechanically, but his social interactions are tone-deaf and painful, especially as we see him being taken in by Halsy's BS. Most of the rest of the characters in the film are clichés, including Mom & Sealy Fauss, Little's oddball parents.

The motorcycle racing scenes are painful to watch for anyone who is familiar with that world at that time. They are shown racing the wrong kind of bikes for the types of races and tracks, in the wrong classes (for example, in one race the starter is explaining that they will be running a 250 to 650 class race, which is totally incorrect; bikes of such a wide range of engine sizes never ran against each other.) The race action is badly faked, with cheesy-looking staged accidents and a host of incorrect technical details. (I raced flat track and a bit of motocross in California's AMA District 36 in the 1970s, so I am speaking from experience here.)

The storyline is incoherent - one minute they are broken down by the side of the road, and the next they are at race. How did they fix the truck and get to the race? Then out of nowhere Halsy has a road-racing sidecar rig, and a co-rider; later he has acquired a Yamaha roadracer that he is racing in the "North American Grand Prix" at Sears Point - and all the while he has the same box-stock Yamaha DT-1MX in the bed of his truck. Where did these bikes come from? Where is he getting the money to support his racing habit and his girlfriend? Little details like that were obviously not important to the screenwriter or the director.

I wrote this review after watching a Blu-ray copy of the movie that I bought a while back (good-looking transfer to disc, by the way), mostly out of curiosity to see if this movie is as bad as I remember it being when I saw it in a theater when I was in high school. It is.

I just got this movie on Blu ray from Blu ray.com/amazon and it looks fantastic! For a low budget movie in 1970, the transfer is amazing, crystal clear and the audio is great. It's funny because Redford wears sun glasses in about 60% of the film and you can see the reflection of the movie lights and even film crew in a number of scenes. You'd think they would have noticed this when filming. The movie isn't the greatest, but it is a cult classic. It's weird seeing Redford playing such a jerk of a character. He was actually really good at it in this movie. I found it interesting that Redford and Michael Pollard couldn't stand each other while filming this movie. I wonder what caused it?

A genuinely odd, surreal jumble of visual ideas which probably looked extremely puzzling on the printed page--just what drew Robert Redford to the project, one may never know. Sidney J. Furie directs this knockabout journey of an egotistical motorcycle racer taking a milquetoast juvenile under his wing. The kid looks up to this anti-hero, and eventually begins to ape his amorality. Disjointed and off-putting, although for some the sight of Redford disrobing, about to disrobe or having been disrobed might be enough to warrant attention. Lauren Hutton gets naked, too, however all the sexy flashes are just teasers for the prurient-minded; there simply is no story. Perhaps Furie was making an esoteric comment about feckless wheelers and their flock circa 1970. If true, then this pre-Blank Generation approach backfired, as the film was not a success. *1/2 from ****

Little Fauss and Big Halsy is very much a New Hollywood Easy Rider inspired film. With a plotless narrative involving bikes in the dessert filmed in a rough running & shooting way. There's no story to speak of but the movie follows the two title characters and their rather pathetic existences. It tries to charming and amusing, at some points it is but mostly it's just rubbish.

If you've ever been on a motorcycle racing circuit or been around other real life circuits with those of the egotistical boaster class, you will love this movie. On both the motorcycle racing circuit and in business, I've met Halsey Knox; well, not really but a true to life, full blown, likeness thereof.

Having not really been a fan of motorcycle racing, but a fan of the scene, I immediately can identify with those of the "Halsey" genre, who not only know everything and been everywhere, but are the best and foremost authority on nearly every subject, let alone get all the women and nearly always screw up everyone's life around them by capturing the heart mind and soul of the unsuspecting and then "use" that person for what can be accomplished for the host.

Robert Redford plays the part like a pro. And poor unsuspecting Little Fauss is literally taken by the style and non-chalaunt attitude of Halsey. The two team up and when Fauss finally wakes up to the reality of being used by a bluffer and boaster, he finds the nerve to move on and locate success on his own.

Definitely a classic and no wonder Robert Redford didn't like the part, after all who wants to be seen as a loser with an egotistical "know it all" attitude, except of course for the part where he "gets all the women" :o)

As a 17 year old Arizona motorcycle racer, I had the privilege of working as an extra/ stuntman on the racing scenes in this movie, so I'm somewhat biased about the quality of this feature. It IS schmaltzy and VERY early 70s in its content and cinematography, but it paints a GREAT picture of what it was like to race motorcycles in the early days of American motor sports (back when no one but the Europeans EVER won anything!). Before Supercross, before motor sport superheroes when us folks that rode motorcycles were known as LESS than desirable, and no one ever called us athletes.

So, from a historical perspective, or just to see ME as a 17 year old tearing around a couple dirt tracks and out on a desert run aboard a hot Yamaha, I feel this movie can't be beat. It'll never take the place of such greats as On Any Sunday or On Any Sunday 2, but it's still a worthwhile 99 minutes of lighthearted flashbacks for anyone that lived through those times, or those that wish they had.

Oh, and Robert Redford wasn't too bad either...

John in AZ

This was a great movie if you were a kid growing up around motorcycle racing. I was just 14 when this movie came out. I went to the theater to see it because I had heard it was about motorcycle racing. It was great! It captured the eccentric attitude of racers in general and was really very accurate as to the characters one could find in AMA racing. "On Any Sunday"! We would trailer our bikes all over the northeast to any race we could find. Enduros, motocross, flat-track, scrambles... whatever was going on, we'd go! Change tires, fenders, or what ever we needed to do to the bikes and take off. Great movie and great times! when you were involved with the racing scene, you got to know the other regulars that would show up at the various races and there were the personalities found in the movie. Every one knew a Halsey! Most of us were more Fauss, however. we were more interested in riding and tuning than partying and chasing skirts! This movie is one of the only movies I actually searched for and purchased just so I would have it as the years go by.

I too was growing up in the 60's and 70's (still growing) and remember this particular movie with a certain fondness. Mainly for the motorcycles and characters portrayed in it. All of us know Little and Halsy in some form or other...I don't usually go to all the trouble of trying to dig up old stuff. Normally, you can find most of the old movies you need at any number of sources. However, this film is proving very difficult to find. Personally, I liked the movie and have been looking for a copy for years. Generally, I don't look for mind expanding symbolism or intelligence in any movie, I'm just satisfied with the entertainment factor...If anyone has a copy out there, let me know if you would like to sell it...